Ampoules for liquid atomizer

ABSTRACT

An ampoule for containing a specified amount of liquid inside to be used for a liquid atomizer has a tubular main body having an open front part including an outlet at one end and an open back part at an opposite end. A piston is inserted into the main body from the open front part in an airtight manner and is slidable axially inside the main body. Another piston is inserted into the main body from the open back part in an airtight manner so as to be slidable axially inside the main body. The two pistons form a reservoir in between for storing a liquid. The forwardly located piston has a weakened part on the side that faces the reservoir. As a sharp member extending from the other piston penetrates this weakened, the reservoir and the outlet become connected and the liquid inside the reservoir is discharged.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to ampoules and more particularly to thestructure of an ampoule for containing a fixed prescribed quantity of amedicament liquid to be used with a liquid atomizer.

Medicament liquids for a quick relief such as those for relieving thesymptoms of asthma must be measured accurately for each dose. In orderto prepare an accurately measured amount of a medicament liquid, aninstrument such as an injector syringe or a pipette must be used, but itis a very troublesome task for a patient to use such an instrument toprepare an accurately measured dose each time it is to be used.Moreover, many patients are not used to such instruments and may fail tohave the intended amount of a medicament liquid to be administered. Inthe case of a medicament liquid that must be administered by a fixedamount, therefore, it is particularly desirable to have it preliminarilymeasured and packaged individually.

Japanese Patent Publication Tokuhyo 9-511443 disclosed a liquid ampoulefor containing an individually measured prescribed mount of a medicamentliquid. Since this container is of the structure having one end closedand adapted to have a piston inserted after being filled with amedicament liquid, it is not possible to store the medicament liquidinside without having any air mixed in under an atmospheric condition.Thus, a method of filling the container under a reduced-pressurecondition must be adopted, but this means that a dedicated equipment forreducing pressure is required.

When the stored medicament liquid is discharged out of the ampoule,furthermore, a sharp needle-like member must be inserted into thereservoir part, but since the device according to aforementionedJapanese Patent Publication Tokuhyo 9-511443 is not intended to be usedfor atomizing a liquid and a relatively large quantity of liquid isintended to be stored and discharged, the amount of the medicamentliquid which may be left inside the ampoule or the needle-likeinstrument and fail to be delivered out does not seem to be considered aserious problem.

The dose of a quick-acting medicament liquid for relieving the symptomsof an asthma patient, for example, may be as small as about 20microliters and hence the amount of the medicament liquid that mayremain inside the ampoule and/or the needle-like instrument presents aserious problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of this invention in view of the above toprovide an ampoule structured so as to be capable of being filled with aliquid without having hardly any air mixed inside even under anatmospheric condition.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an ampoule capable ofreducing the amount of liquid left inside when it is discharged outthereof.

An ampoule embodying this invention for containing a specified amount ofliquid inside may be characterized as comprising a tubular main bodyhaving a first open part including an outlet at a forward end and asecond open part at a back end, a forwardly placed first piston which isinserted into the main body from its forward open part in an airtightmanner and is slidable in an axial direction of the main body, and abackwardly placed second piston which is inserted into the main bodyfrom its backward open part in an airtight manner so as to be slidablein the axial direction of the main body and such that the first pistonand the second piston form therebetween a reservoir for storing a liquidtherein. The first piston has on its side that faces the reservoir aweakened part that is weaker than the other parts of the piston. Themain body also contains a sharp member adapted to penetrate the weakenedpart of the first piston and to thereby connect the reservoir with theoutlet.

For filling an ampoule thus structured with a liquid, the first pistonis initially inserted into the main body, the liquid is then poured intothe interior of the tubular main body and then the second piston isinserted to the main body. The liquid and the first piston are movedtoward the first open part in response to the force with which thesecond piston is inserted such that the main body can contain the liquidwithout allowing any air to become mixed in even under an atmosphericcondition.

The first piston may preferably comprise a tubular part and a membrane,the tubular part contacting the inner peripheral surface of the tubularmain body, the membrane covering one end of the tubular part and beingthinner than the tubular part to serve as the aforementioned weakenedpart. With the first piston thus structured, the aforementioned sharppart can dependably penetrate the first piston through its weakenedpart. The aforementioned sharp member may be arranged so as to extendfrom the second piston towards the first piston.

Alternatively, a guide tube may be provided inside the main body,connecting to the outlet and extending from the first open part towardthe second piston such that the sharp member is near an end part of theguide tube toward the second piston. The main body may be structured soas to include a guide groove at the outlet, extending forward and beingupwardly open. With such a guide groove, the outlet of the ampoule canbe brought infinitely close to the object to which the liquid is to besupplied.

It is further preferable to provide positioning means for positioningthe ampoule with respect to an external apparatus to which it is adaptedto be attached. Such means are convenient in avoiding positioning errorsin setting the ampoule to an external apparatus.

It is also preferable to further provide a cover member havingprotrusions extending inside the main body for causing the second pistonto slide toward the first piston. Such a cover member may be disposed onthe side of the second open part of the main body. The aforementionedmay include first positioning means disposed between the main body andthe cover member for positioning the cover member with respect to themain body, and second positioning means disposed on the cover member forpositioning the cover member with respect to the external apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagonal external view of a liquid atomizer provided withampoules embodying this invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the liquid atomizer of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line XVIII—XVIII of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a partially exploded view of the liquid atomizer of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged diagonal view of a portion of the liquid atomizerof FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged diagonal view of a rotary ampoule holding memberof the liquid atomizer of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a diagonal external view of the main body of an ampouleembodying this invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagonal external view of an ampoule embodying thisinvention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line IX—IX of FIG. 8 beforeinjection.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line IX—IX of FIG. 8 afterinjection.

FIGS. 11A, 11B and 11C, together referred to as FIG. 11, are schematicdrawings for showing the functions of the ampoule main body of FIG. 7.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line XII—XII of FIG. 2.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view before injection taken along line XIII—XIIIof FIG. 2.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view at the time of injection taken along lineXIII—XIII of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 15, 16 and 17 are enlarged diagonal external views for showing thestructure of the head and its positional relationship with the cover ofthe ampoules at different moments.

FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along line XVIII—XVIII of FIG. 2showing only relevant parts before the injection.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 18 at the time ofinjection.

FIG. 20 shows a portion of FIG. 19 indicated by circle XX even moreenlarged.

FIG. 21 is a sectional view corresponding to FIGS. 18 and 19 afterinjection.

FIG. 22 is a sectional view of another ampoule embodying this inventionbefore injection.

FIG. 23 is a sectional view of the ampoule of FIG. 22 after injection.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention will be described next by way of examples. Ampoules, asbeing used with a medicament liquid atomizer for atomizing a liquidmedicament, say, for treating an asthma patient, will be described butit is to be reminded that ampoules according to this invention may beused for liquid atomizers of all kinds adapted to atomize a liquid.

FIGS. 1–6 are referenced first to describe the overall structure of sucha medicament liquid atomizer (hereinafter referred to simply as theatomizer) 100. FIG. 1 is its diagonal external view, FIG. 2 is its planview, FIG. 3 is its sectional view taken along line XVIII—XVIII of FIG.2, FIG. 4 is its partially exploded view, FIG. 5 is an enlarged diagonalview of a portion thereof, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged diagonal view ofits rotary ampoule-holding member (herein referred to as the rotarymember 130).

As shown in FIG. 1, the atomizer 100 is comprised of a main frame 102provided with an atomizing part 104 and an ampoule holder 101 serving asan ampoule holding means disposed near the atomizing part 104 forholding a plurality of ampoules 200 embodying this invention forsupplying a medicament liquid to the atomizing part 104. The ampoules200 are held in an annular formation. As the ampoule holder 101 causesthe annular formation of the ampoules 200 while holding the ampoules 200in the annular formation, the outlets of the individual ampoules 200 canbe brought sequentially to a position proximal to the atomizing part104.

An elongated member (hereinafter referred to as the arm 150) is providedon the upper surface of the atomizer 100 for moving each of the ampoules200 held by the ampoule holder 101 from a retracted position towards theatomizing part 104 and to an advanced position.

As shown in FIG. 3, a control unit 160 for controlling the atomizingpart 104 is contained inside the atomizer 100. A connector opening 110for inserting the outlet (to be described below) of an ampoule 200 isprovided near the atomizing part 104. On the side of the front surfaceof the atomizer 100 is a holder base 120 for detachably connecting theampoule holder 101 to the main frame 102. As more clearly shown in FIGS.4 and 5, the holder base 120 is comprised of a circular base 121, anouter guide 122 which surrounds the circular base 121, an inner guide123 provided inside the outer guide 122 and a support shaft 124extending perpendicularly to the front surface of the main frame 102from the center of the holder base 120. The support shaft 124 isprovided with a hook 125 for engaging with a slidable shaft 145 of anampoule cover (or “the cover 140”, to be described below).

The structure of the ampoule holder 101 is described next.

As explained above, the holder base 120 is provided on the side of thefront surface of the atomizer 100 to which the ampoule holder 101 ismounted. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a rotary member 130 is provideddetachably to the holder base 120. This rotary member 130 is comprisedof a tubular base 131, support arms 132 which extend radially from theouter peripheral surface of this tubular base 131, and ampoule holdingmembers (hereinafter “holding members”) 134 which are each connected tothe tip of a corresponding one of the support arms 132 and disposed inan annular formation.

The rotary member 130 is mounted to the holder base 120 such that thesupport shaft 124 penetrates the interior of the tubular base 131 and isarranged such that the holding members 134 will rotate as a whole aroundthe support shaft 124 and the outer peripheral surface of the tubularbase 131 will slide along the inner surface of the inner guide 123. Anopening 133 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of each holdingmember 134 and a pair of positioning side walls 135 is provided on theouter peripheral surface abutting this opening 133. Although the rotarymember 130 is shown with ten holding members 134, the number of theholding members 134 is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.The number of the holding members 134 on the rotary member 130 may bevaried according to the needs.

In summary, since the holding members 134 are arranged such that aplurality of ampoules 200 are held in an annular formation, the ampoules200 can be contained within a relatively small space and a compactatomizer holding many ampoules 200 can be realized according to thisinvention. Moreover, since a plurality of ampoules 200 can bepreliminarily set in the rotary member 130, a plurality of ampoules 200can be easily set at once on the holder base 120. After medicamentliquid from all of the ampoules 200 has been used up, the entire rotarymember 130 can be removed from the holder base 120 and another rotarymember 130 carrying new ampoules 200 filled with a medicament liquid maybe set to the holder base 120 such that the used ampoules 200 can bedisposed of neatly and efficiently without getting scattered.

The structure of the ampoule 200 is described next with reference toFIGS. 7–11. FIG. 7 is a diagonal external view of an ampoule main body201 before injection, FIG. 8 is a diagonal external view of an ampouleafter injection, FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line IX—IX ofFIG. 8 before injection, FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along lineIX—IX of FIG. 8 after injection and FIG. 11 (consisting of FIGS. 11A,11B and 11C) is for schematically showing the functions of the ampoulemain body 201.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the ampoule 200 is provided with the ampoulemain body 201 and a cover member 230 attached to the ampoule main body201. The ampoule main body 201 is provided with a longitudinallyelongated rib 201 a on its outer surface and the cover member 230 isprovided with a key groove 233 on its inner surface so as to engage withthe rib 201 a. The rib 201 a on the ampoule main body 201 and the keygroove 233 on the cover member 230 together serve as a positioning means(hereinafter also referred to as the first positioning means) fordependably positioning the cover member 230 with respect to the ampoulemain body 201.

The cover member 230 is also provided with a pair of longitudinallyelongated ribs (the first ribs) 231 on its outer peripheral surface suchthat they will engage with the aforementioned positioning side walls 135when the ampoule 200 is inserted into the corresponding one of theholding members 134. Thus, the first ribs 230 and the positioning sidewalls 135 serve as another positioning means (hereinafter also referredto as the second positioning means) for dependably positioning theampoule main body 134 with respect to the cover member 230.

By way of the engaging relationships described above, the ampoules 200are capable of sliding longitudinally with respect to the holdingmembers 134 while the ampoule main bodies 201 are prevented fromrotating around themselves with respect to the holding members 134. Thecover member 230 is also provided with a circumferentially extending rib(the second rib) 232 on its outer peripheral surface at a backwardposition so as to engage with the arm 150, as will be explained more indetail below.

The structure of the ampoule main body 201 is described next withreference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

The purpose of this ampoule main body 201 is to contain a specifiedamount (such as about 20 microliters) of a medicament liquid 240 inside.Thus, the ampoule main body 201 comprises an approximately tubular part201Z having an open part (the first open part 201X) with an outlet 201 hat one end and another open part (the second open part 201Y) at theother end.

On the side of the first open part 201X of the tubular part 201Z, thereis a piston (the first piston 210) that is inserted into the tubularpart 201Z in an airtight manner so as to be slidable in the axialdirection of the tubular part 201Z. On the side of the second open part201Y of the tubular part 201Z, there is another piston (the secondpiston 220) that is inserted into the tubular part 201Z in an airtightmanner so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the tubular part201Z and to form a reservoir 201 k for a medicament liquid 240 betweenthe first piston 210. The first piston 210 is provided so as to cover atubular portion 211 a contacting the inner peripheral surface of thetubular part 201Z and the side of this tubular portion 211 a facing thereservoir 201 k and includes a weakened part 211 b comprising a membranethat is thinner than the average thickness of the tubular portion 211 a.The second piston 220 is provided with a needle-like sharp part 221extending towards the first piston 210.

On the side of the first open part 201X, the tubular part 201Z isprovided with a guide groove 202 that extends towards the front and hasa cut surface opening in the upward direction. There is also provided aguide tube 203 that forms a passage 201 j extending from the side of thefirst open part 201X towards the first piston 210. Pins 234 are providedinside the cover member 230 for allowing the second piston 220 to slidetoward the first piston 210.

If the reservoir 201 k is intended to contain 20 microliters of amedicament liquid, as described above, the total length (L1) of theampoule 200 may be 19.4 mm, the length of the cover member 230 may be8.6 mm, and the outer diameter (ØW) of the cover member 230 may be 6.3mm.

If the cover member 230 of the ampoule 200 thus structured is moved inthe direction of the first open part 201X, the needle-like sharp part221 penetrates the weakened part 211 b of the first piston 210 such thatthe reservoir 201 k and the passage 201 j become connected to each otherand it becomes possible to discharge the medicament liquid 240 out ofthe reservoir 201 k. An outlet 201 h is formed integrally at one end ofthe tubular part 201Z.

FIG. 11 shows how the ampoule main body 201 of this invention can befilled with the medicament liquid 240. To start, the first piston 210 isinserted from one end of the tubular part 201Z, as shown in FIG. 11A.Thereafter, the medicament liquid 240 is poured in to fill the otherside of the first piston 210, as shown in FIG. 11B. Still thereafter,the second piston 220 is inserted from the other end of the tubular part201Z, as shown in FIG. 11C. Because of the pressure accompanying theinsertion of the second piston 220, both the medicament liquid 240 andthe first piston 210 are moved slidingly inside the tubular part 201Z.In this manner, the medicament liquid 240 can be stored inside thetubular part 201Z without allowing hardly any air inside the reservoir201 k even under the atmospheric condition.

The structure of the cover 140 is described next. As shown in FIG. 4,the cover 140 is comprised of a tubular main body 141 with a window 142on its side surface. The window 142 is formed with a first window part142 a extending in the axial direction and a second window part 142 bextending in the circumferential direction. The tubular main body 141 isprovided at its center part with an inward indentation 144, containingtherein an unlocking tube 143 so as to be slidable in the axialdirection without becoming separated from the indentation 144.

The function of this unlocking tube 143 is described next with referenceto FIG. 18 which is an enlarged sectional view taken along lineXVIII—XVIII of FIG. 2, showing only relevant components.

Under the condition where the rotary member 130 and the cover 140 areattached, the rotary member 130 is pressed by the cover 140 in thedirection of the holder base 120, and the cover 140 is affixed to thesupport shaft 124 as the hook 125 on the support shaft 124 engages withan engagement area 145 h provided on the slidable shaft 145 of theampoule cover 140. Under this condition, the cover 140 is pressed in thedirection of the holder base 120 such that the rotary member 130 ispressed towards the holder base 120 by the hook 125. Thus, the rotarymember 130 and the cover 140 become affixed to the holder base 120.

When it is desired to disengage the rotary member 130 from the cover140, the unlocking tube 143 is inserted in the direction of the holderbase 120 (indicated by arrow P in FIG. 18). As a result, the hook 125 isreceived inside the slidable shaft 145, and the rotary member 130 andthe cover 140 are released from the compressive force onto the holderbase 120 by the hook 125. Thus, it becomes possible to remove the rotarymember 130 and the cover 140.

The rotary mechanism of the ampoule holder 101 is described next withreference to FIG. 12 which is a sectional view taken along line XII—XIIof FIG., 2.

The inner guide 123 of the holder base 120 is formed as a combination oftwo nearly semicircular side walls 123 a, one of which being wider thanthe other. Each of these nearly semicircular side walls 123 a isprovided with an inwardly protruding ratchet hook 123 b or 123 c at oneend thereof. Since the two side walls 123 a are of different widths,neither of the ratchet hooks 123 b and 123 c is on the straight lineconnecting the other of the ratchet hooks 123 b and 123 c and the centerof rotation of the ampoule holder 101.

As shown in FIG. 6, furthermore, a plurality of grooves 131 a (“thefirst ratchet grooves”) are provided at a specified pitch on the outerperipheral surface of the tubular base 131 of the rotary member 130adapted to slide along the inner surface of the inner guide 123. Thus,the relationship between the inner guide 123 and the rotary member 130is such that the rotary member 130 can be rotated in thecounter-clockwise direction (hereinafter always as seen from the frontside of the rotary member 130 and indicated by arrow C) and that it isprevented from rotating in the clockwise direction (as indicated byarrow D in FIG. 12) because of the directional relationship between theratchet hooks 123 b and 123 c and the first ratchet grooves 131 a asshown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 6 shows that a plurality of grooves 131 c (“the second ratchetgrooves”) are provided also on the inner peripheral surface of thetubular base 131 at a specified pitch. As shown in FIG. 12, two ratchethooks 145 a are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the slidableshaft 145 of the cover 140. Thus, the relationship between the rotarymember 130 and the cover 140 is such that they can rotate together as asingle unit in the counter-clockwise direction indicated by arrow C bythe engagement between the ratchet hooks 145 a and the aforementionedsecond ratchet grooves 131 c but that only the cover 140 can be rotatedin the clockwise direction indicated by arrow D because the rotarymember 130 is prevented from rotating by means of the inner guide 123.

The numbers of the first and second ratchet grooves 131 a and 131 c aredetermined according to the number of the holding members 134. In theexample described herein, therefore, there are ten first ratchet grooves131 a and ten second ratchet grooves 131 c.

The rotary motion of the holding members 134 controlled by therelationship among the inner guide 123, the tubular base 131 and thecover 140 is described next.

As a first step, the cover 140 is rotated in the counter-clockwisedirection by one pitch of the first ratchet grooves 131 a. As a result,both the cover 140 and the rotary member 130 rotate simultaneouslytogether by one pitch, transporting one of the holding members 134 onthe rotary member 130. Next, as a second step, the cover 140 is rotatedin the clockwise direction by one pitch of the second ratchet grooves131 c. Since the rotary member 130 is prevented from rotating in theclockwise direction, it is only the cover 140 that rotates in theclockwise direction by one pitch. Thus, if the first and second stepsare sequentially carried out, the holding members 134 are each advancedto the position of the next one.

As shown in FIG. 12, the outer peripheral surface of the tubular base131 is provided with a positioning groove 131 b as means for positioningthe rotary member 130 with respect to the holder base 120. Thispositioning groove 131 b is provided at a specified position such thatthe ratchet hook 123 b can be inserted where the ratchet hook 123 cengages with the first ratchet groove 131 a. Thus, the position formounting the rotary member 130 with respect to the ratchet hook 123 b isuniquely determined. In other words, the initial position at the startof using the ampoules 200 can be uniquely determined.

FIG. 12 shows that the outer peripheral surface of the tubular base 131is further provided with an indentation (“the final position indicatingindentation”) 131 d. As the rotary member 130 is sequentially rotated inthe counter-clockwise direction from its initial position (where the useof the ampoules 200 is started) and after the last of the ampoules 200has been used up, if the rotary member 130 is further rotated, theratchet hook 123 b comes to be engaged with this indentation 131 d andprevents any further rotary motion of the rotary member 130. The ratchethooks 123 b and 123 c are individually so shaped that the former can butthe latter cannot become engaged with the indentation 131 d. By thismeans, the end position of the use of the ampoules 200 becomes clearlyrecognizable and the user can easily estimate how soon the rotary member130 currently being used will have to be replaced by another holderloaded with a new set of unused ampoules 200.

Instead of the final position indicating indentation 131 d as describedabove, or in addition thereto, the last of the holding members 134 to beused may be colored differently such that the user can even more easilyestimate how soon the rotary member 130 will have to be replaced next.

The structure of the arm 150 is described next with reference to FIGS.13 and 14 which are sectional views taken along line XIII—XIII of FIG. 2at a time before injection and at the time of injection, respectively.

A tubular shaft holder 153 extending in the longitudinal direction isprovided on the upper surface of the atomizer main frame 102. The frontpart of this shaft holder 153 contains therein a slidable shaft 152 soas to be both rotatable around its axis and slidable in the axialdirection. A rotatable head 151 is provided on the front side of thisshaft holder 153.

This slidable shaft 152 has an indented part 152 a formed on its sidesurface near its back end for engaging and containing a sealing member152 b. An axially elongated hollow part 152 c is formed at the back endpart of the shaft 152, and a connecting hole 152 d is formed forconnecting the indented part 152 a and the hollow part 152 c. Under thecondition shown in FIG. 13, this connecting hole 152 d is closed by thesealing member 152 b.

A piston 156 is disposed behind the shaft 152 inside the shaft holder153. The piston 156 has a first cylindrical part 156 a, a secondcylindrical part 156 b and a third cylindrical part 156 c, the thirdcylindrical part 156 c being between the first and second cylindricalparts 156 a and 156 b, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. A sealing member 158is engaged on the outer peripheral surface of the third cylindrical part156 c. A coil spring (the first coil spring) 154 is inserted between theshaft 152 and the piston 156, and another coil spring (the second coilspring) 157 is disposed between the back part of the piston 156 and theback end of the shaft holder 153.

With the arm 150 thus structured, if its head 151 is pushed in, asindicated by arrow S1 shown in FIG. 14, the sealing member 152 b movestowards the head 151 in the indented part 152 a due to the friction withthe inner wall of the shaft holder 153 and the connecting hole 152 dcomes to a position between the sealing members 152 b and 158. Thus, thespace containing the first coil spring 154 serves as an air damper,being sealed by means of the sealing members 152 b and 158. Thus, theuser will feel heavy as the head 151 is initially pushed in and willpush it in steadily and slowly. As a result, the ampoule 200 will bemade to approach the atomizing part 104 slowly. This is a favorable wayof operation because if the medicament liquid is introduced to theatomizing part 104 energetically, it is likely to scatter around and theatomization of the specified quantity of the medicament liquid may notbe achieved.

Thereafter, the shaft 152 switches on a limit switch 170 to have thecontrol unit 160 activate the atomizing part 104 such that themedicament liquid will be instantaneously atomized.

As the compressive force on the head 151 is released, the biasing forceof the first and second coil springs 154 and 157 causes the shaft 152and the piston 156 to return to the positions shown in FIG. 13. At thismoment, the sealing member 152 b moves towards the back end side ofindented part 152 a by the friction with the inner wall surface of theshaft holder 153 and the connecting hole 152 d connects the spacecontaining the first coil spring 154 with the exterior space.

The structure of the head 151 and its positional relationship with thecover member 230 of the ampoules 200 are described next with referenceto FIGS. 15–17.

As shown in FIG. 15, the head 151 is comprised of a vertical part 151 asupporting the back part of the cover 230 for the ampoules 200 and aside part 151 b positioned at a side of the upper part of the cover 230.A slit 151 c is formed at a lower position of the side part 151 b in adirection transverse to the axial direction of the shaft 152 so as to beable to accept the aforementioned second rib 232 on the cover 230.

As the rotary member 130 is rotated, the second rib 232 on the cover 230of the incoming ampoule passes through the space formed by the slit 151c, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. Thus, the arm 150 does not interferewith the circular motion of the ampoules 200.

When the second rib 232 associated with one of the ampoules 200 isengaged with the slit 151 c, as shown in FIG. 15, as the arm 150 ismoved, the outlet 201 h of the ampoule 200 can be moved between theadvanced position towards the atomizing part 104 as shown in FIG. 14 andthe retracted position as shown in FIG. 13 where the rotary member 130can be rotated with respect to the atomizer main frame 102.

Since the head 151 will interfere with the rotary member 130 when therotary member 130 loaded with ampoules 200 is mounted to or removed fromthe holder base 120, the head 151 should be rotated in the direction ofarrow D shown in FIG. 15 so as to avoid the interference.

The operation of the medicament liquid atomizer 100 thus structured forinjection of the medicament liquid is described next with reference toFIGS. 18–21. FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along line XVIII—XVIII ofFIG. 2 showing only relevant parts before injection. FIG. 19 is acorresponding sectional view at the time of injection. FIG. 20 shows aportion of FIG. 19 indicated by circle XX even more enlarged. FIG. 21 isanother sectional view corresponding to FIGS. 18 and 19 after injection.

First, the rotary member 130 is rotated such that the outlet 201 h ofthe ampoule 200 filled with a medicament liquid is at a positionopposite the connector opening 110 near the atomizing part 104, as shownin FIG. 18. The user can easily ascertain through the window 142 in thecover 140 whether the ampoules 200 are properly mounted or whether theyare properly filled with a medicament liquid.

Next, the arm 150 is pushed in the direction of arrow S1, as shown inFIG. 19. As a result, the cover member 230 moves in the direction of thefirst open part 201X and its pins 234 push the second piston 220 tocause needle-like sharp part 221 to penetrate the weakened part 211 b ofthe first piston 210 such that the reservoir 201 k and the passage 201 jbecome connected and the medicament liquid 240 in the reservoir 201 k issupplied to the atomizing part 104.

As shown more in detail in FIG. 20, the atomizing part 104 includes ahorn vibrator 106 having on its upper surface a mesh 105 that extendssideways. Since the ampoule main body 201 has a forwardly protrudingpart with the guide groove 202, as explained above with reference toFIG. 7, the outlet 201 h can be brought infinitely close to the hornvibrator 106 as the medicament liquid 240 is supplied to the atomizingpart 104 and is instantaneously atomized.

The arm 150 is thereafter pulled back in the direction of arrow S2 inFIG. 21. As a result, the ampoule 200 is returned to the interior of therotary member 130 and hence does not interfere with the rotary motion ofthe rotary member 130.

As explained above, since a plurality of ampoules 200 are carried in anannular formation, the space for storing them can be made compact. As aresult, the ampoule holder 101 can be made compact and hence easilyportable. The invention also makes it possible to set a plurality ofampoules 200 at once to the atomizer main frame 102 since the ampoules200 may be preliminarily set in the rotary member 130. When themedicament liquid in all of the ampoules 200 has been used up, all ofthe used-up ampoules 200 can be removed at once with the rotary member130 from the atomizer main frame 102 for replacement. In this manner,the used-up ampoules 200 can be neatly disposed of without gettingscattered around.

Since the position of the ampoule 200 to be used first is uniquelydetermined with reference to the rotary member 130, its position whenthe last of the ampoules 200 has been used up is also uniquelydetermined. This makes it easy to estimate how soon the rotary member130 must be replaced with a new one.

Since the outlet 201 h of the ampoule 200 is at a retracted positionaway from the atomizing part 104 when the rotary member 130 rotates,there is no interference between the outlet 201 h and the atomizing part104. Thus, the atomizing part 104, which is a principal part of theatomizer main frame 102, need not be specially designed and the rotarymember 130 can be made rotatable by a simple mechanism.

According to the present invention, furthermore, the medicament liquid240 can be supplied into the tubular part 201 Z without causing hardlyany air to become mixed inside the reservoir 201 k. Since the outlet 201h is integrally formed at one end of the tubular part 201Z, the distanceof the flow route for the medicament liquid 240 is reduced and theamount of the liquid that may remain inside the tubular part 201Z can bereduced.

FIGS. 22 and 23 show another ampoule 200A according to anotherembodiment of the invention, FIG. 22 being its sectional view beforeinjection and FIG. 23 being a corresponding sectional view afterinjection. This ampoule 200A is basically of the same structure as theampoule 200 according to the first embodiment of the invention describedabove. The difference is in that the second piston 220 is not providedwith any needle-like part (such as the part indicated by numeral 221)but that a sharpened part 254 is provided at the end of a guide tube 253on the side of the second piston 220, having a tapered surface such thatthe its width increases from the side of the second piston 220 towardsthe outlet 201 h.

If the amount of the medicament liquid to be stored inside the reservoir201 k is 20 microliters, the external dimensions of the ampoule 200A maybe such that the total length L1 is 10.4 mm, the length of the covermember 230 is 8.6 mm and the outer diameter of the cover member 230 isabout 6.3 mm.

If the cover member 230 of the ampoule 200A is moved in the direction ofthe first open part 201X, the first piston 210 moves such that thesharpened part 254 penetrates the weakened part 211 b of the firstpiston 210. The reservoir 201 k and the passage 201 j thus becomeconnected and the medicament liquid 240 can be discharged out of thereservoir 201 k. The second embodiment of the invention described aboveenjoys the same advantages as the first embodiment of the invention whenthe medicament liquid is supplied into the ampoule main body 201A.

Although the invention has been described by way of only twoembodiments, they are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.Many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of theinvention. Although the invention was described above for an applicationwherein the ampoules are filled with a medicament liquid, the inventionis applicable to all situations where a liquid is to be atomized. Insummary, the description presented above is intended to be interpretedbroadly.

1. An ampoule for containing a specified amount of liquid inside, saidampoule comprising: a tubular main body having a first open part at oneend and a second open part at an opposite end, said first open partincluding an outlet; a first piston inserted into said main body fromsaid first open part in an airtight manner, said first piston beingslidable in an axial direction of said main body; a second pistoninserted into said main body from said second open part in an airtightmanner, said second piston being slidable in said axial direction ofsaid main body, said first piston and said second piston formingtherebetween a reservoir for storing said liquid therein, said firstpiston having a weakened part on a side that faces said reservoir; and asharp member penetrating said weakened part and to thereby connect saidreservoir with said outlet; wherein said main body has a guide groove atsaid outlet, said guide groove extending forward and being upwardlyopen.
 2. The ampoule of claim 1 wherein said first piston comprises atubular part and a membrane, said tubular part contacting innerperipheral surface of said main body, said membrane covering one end ofsaid tubular part and being thinner than said tubular part to serve assaid weakened part.
 3. The ampoule of claim 1 wherein said main bodyincludes a guide tube that connects to said outlet and extends from saidfirst open part towards said second piston.
 4. The ampoule of claim 1wherein said sharp member extends from said second piston towards saidfirst piston.
 5. The ampoule of claim 2 wherein said sharp memberextends from said second piston towards said first piston.
 6. Theampoule of claim 3 wherein said sharp member extends from said secondpiston towards said first piston.
 7. The ampoule of claim 1 wherein saidsharp member is near an end part of said guide tube toward said secondpiston.
 8. The ampoule of claim 2 wherein said sharp member is near anend part of said guide tube toward said second piston.
 9. The ampoule ofclaim 3 wherein said sharp member is near an end part of said guide tubetoward said second piston.
 10. The ampoule of claim 1 further comprisingpositioning means for positioning said ampoule with respect to anexternal apparatus to which said ampoule is adapted to be attached. 11.The ampoule of claim 10 further comprising a cover member havingprotrusions, said protrusions extending inside said main body forcausing said second piston to slide toward said first piston, said covermember being on the side of said second open part of said main body,said positioning means including: first positioning means disposedbetween said main body and said cover member for positioning said covermember with respect to said main body; and second positioning meansdisposed on said cover member for positioning said cover member withrespect to said external apparatus.
 12. An ampoule for containing aspecified amount of liquid inside, said ampoule comprising: a tubularmain body having a first open part at one end and a second open part atan opposite end, said first open part including an outlet; a firstpiston inserted into said main body from said first open part in anairtight manner, said first piston being slidable in an axial directionof said main body; a second piston inserted into said main body fromsaid second open part in an airtight manner, said second piston beingslidable in said axial direction of said main body, said first pistonand said second piston forming therebetween a reservoir for storing saidliquid therein, said first piston having a weakened part on a side thatfaces said reservoir; and a sharp member penetrating said weakened partand to thereby connect said reservoir with said outlet; wherein saidsharp member extends from said second piston towards said first piston.13. The ampoule of claim 12 wherein said first piston comprises atubular part and a membrane, said tubular part contacting innerperipheral surface of said main body, said membrane covering one end ofsaid tubular part and being thinner than said tubular part to serve assaid weakened part.
 14. The ampoule of claim 12 wherein said main bodyincludes a guide tube that connects to said outlet and extends from saidfirst open part towards said second piston.
 15. The ampoule of claim 12wherein said sharp member extends from said second piston towards saidfirst piston.
 16. The ampoule of claim 12 further comprising positioningmeans for positioning said ampoule with respect to an external apparatusto which said ampoule is adapted to be attached.
 17. The ampoule ofclaim 16 further comprising a cover member having protrusions, saidprotrusions extending inside said main body for causing said secondpiston to slide toward said first piston, said cover member being on theside of said second open part of said main body, said positioning meansincluding: first positioning means disposed between said main body andsaid cover member for positioning said cover member with respect to saidmain body; and second positioning means disposed on said cover memberfor positioning said cover member with respect to said externalapparatus.